At the same time, in the Fisk Building.
The Kingpin sat at the window of the top floor room, gazing out into the silver-gray moonlight spilling through the glass. His eyes were fixed on the woman lying motionless on the hospital bed, her frail body covered in medical equipment.
Though she was young, she appeared so fragile, her condition so weak. The Kingpin gently took her cold hand in his, bringing it to his lips, and kissed it softly.
"I've tried everything, Vanessa," he whispered to the woman, who lay unresponsive. "Every possible way to wake you up—science, magic, witchcraft, even black magic. I've left no stone unturned. Even when doctors said there was no hope, I refused to accept it."
His voice wavered with deep pain. "Do you know what it's been like without you? Every enemy I've had has tried to destroy me, to prevent me from ever standing tall again. If I don't stand, I lose the only chance I have at happiness."
"They mock me, trying to crush my spirit. But I will punish them all!" His eyes gleamed with rage as he turned his gaze back to his wife's still form. "Anyone who tries to stop me... will pay the price."
---
Meanwhile, George Stacy was driving toward the Grand Theater in New York City, checking his watch repeatedly. It was Gwen's first public performance, and as her father, he was determined to be there to support her. He left early to avoid being late, but traffic was more congested than he expected.
Finally, the light turned green, and George quickly accelerated, but out of nowhere, a fire hydrant shot toward his car. He slammed on the brakes and swerved the steering wheel, narrowly avoiding the hydrant.
With a loud bang, the hydrant hit the ground, but that was just the beginning. George's car trembled slightly as a giant figure appeared on the road—a massive creature, covered in thick skin with a head resembling a rhinoceros horn. The giant stomped towards George's car like a wrecking ball, charging at him with incredible force.
"Damn it!" George cursed, struggling to unbuckle his seat belt. But the buckle was jammed, and before he could free himself, the rhino-like man reached his car, grabbed the front bumper, and tried to flip it over.
In a panic, George pulled out his pistol and fired several shots at the creature's head. To his shock, the bullets bounced off its thick skin, which seemed invulnerable to any attack. Despite this, the creature was momentarily distracted, allowing George to break free from the car and scramble away while continuing to shoot.
But the creature was relentless. Enraged, it tore through the surrounding cars as it chased after George, knocking them aside with a single punch.
---
Back at the Grand Theater, the sound of rock music began blasting from the speakers, filling the entire venue. The beat of jazz drums thumped through the crowd as Felicia Hardy, known as the Black Cat, performed on stage, confident and full of energy.
From a young age, Felicia had been captivated by rock music. Her father, a notorious thief, had always stolen things of personal value rather than just jewels—things that couldn't be locked away or replaced. He had taught her to steal only what was truly valuable, the things that others could never reclaim.
As she belted out the last line of her song, the audience erupted into cheers. Felicia paused, breathing heavily as she gazed at the crowd, feeling their admiration wash over her.
Gwen and the rest of the band stood backstage, also caught up in the excitement. After a brief rest, they prepared for their next performance.
However, just before they were about to begin, a commotion broke out in the audience. A group of people wearing devil masks suddenly jumped onto the stage, causing chaos.
"Betty, get down!" Gwen shouted as she dove to the ground, pulling Betty out of harm's way. A short dagger struck the floor where Betty had just been standing. If Gwen hadn't acted quickly, the dagger would have struck her.
Betty, still in shock, asked, "What's going on, Gwen?"
Gwen, noticing the masked attackers, replied, "It's definitely not a good sign. These people are here to cause trouble for Felicia."
Glory, taking advantage of the distraction, rushed to Gwen's side. The Black Cats, who were supposed to be performers, immediately revealed their true skills and fought back against the attackers.
Betty, bewildered by the scene, asked, "What is going on here?"
Gwen, somewhat amused by the bizarre turn of events, replied, "I guess we're getting a special show tonight—masked men fighting black cats. Who wouldn't want to watch this?"
Before Betty could respond, Gwen stood up, looking determined. "You two need to run—get out of here and don't look back. I'll follow you."
"But—" Betty started to protest, but Glory stopped her.
"We should do what Gwen says," Glory insisted. "We can't afford to lose anyone before our performance is even over."
Reluctantly, Betty nodded, and the two of them quickly made their way toward the exit. "Be careful," Glory warned Gwen. "Make sure you're safe. Our performance isn't over yet."
"Of course," Gwen replied with a reassuring smile.
Once Betty and Glory had safely left the area, the entire audience started to clear out, too. Gwen, now alone, quickly donned her Spider-Man suit and joined the fray.
"You knew this was going to happen, didn't you?" Gwen accused Felicia, as she punched a masked man who had charged at her.
Felicia, busy fending off another attacker, shrugged. "You're wrong. I would never be stupid enough to stage a fight at my own concert."
"Why are those Black Cats so skilled?" Gwen asked in disbelief as she took down another enemy.
"They're professionals I hired to protect me while I performed," Felicia explained, landing a powerful kick to another attacker. "But I know who sent them."
"Who?" Gwen asked, eyes narrowing.
"Kingpin," Felicia spat, clearly furious. "We had a little run-in last time, remember?"
Gwen's eyes widened. "Kingpin knows your identity?"
Felicia's face hardened. "He does. And the hatred between us runs deep. My father was killed because of him. And I swear to burn him down with everything I have."
With that, Felicia leapt into the crowd of attackers, her claws slashing through the air. Gwen, seeing her friend in action, quickly followed suit, using her webs to subdue a masked attacker nearby.
"Alright," Gwen muttered under her breath. "I really hope you didn't plan this whole thing."
----––-------------------------------
Visit our Patreon for more:
patreon.com/Samurai492